2025 MLB Farm Review: Seattle Mariners

Modesto featured some very familiar prospects — or at least ones to those who follow the Seattle organization closely.

Walter Ford, drafted in the second round back in 2022, spent his second-straight season with Modesto. Very little swing-and-miss, as Ford had one of the 15 worst swing-and-miss rates (21.2%) in the California League.

Felnin Celesten had a respectable year as a 19-year-old in the circuit. Celesten just looks like a power hitter, and after a funky pro debut season that saw him hit a lot of groundballs, that came down quite a bit. The now-20-year-old significantly cut down the GO/AO rate, although he still a good amount of groundballs (45.7). Still, he slashed .285/.349/.384 with a sub-30% Whiff%.

Another pleasant surprise was undrafted free agent Carter Dorighi, who did nothing but hit at Butler. Dorighi picked up 91 hits over 85 games and earned a midseason promotion to High-A.

However, perhaps the big standout of the year was 2024 second-rounder Ryan Sloan. Sloan was considered a high-end high school prospect, one who showed mid-90s velocity, a changeup, and a slider. And throughout his first full pro season, Sloan showcased a lot of polish along the way.

Sloan struck out 77 batters over 70.2 IP and walked just 18 over 18 starts. The right-hander posted one of the 30 best Whiff% rates (32.2%) in the California League this past season. And when looking at his gyro slider, it’s not hard to see why.

Jeter Martinez, a 19-year-old righty, put up mixed results as a 19-year-old. Martinez, who could touch 96-97 MPH with his four-seam and two-seam fastballs, struck out 60 over 62.2 IP. He didn’t post a high Whiff%, nor did he limit walks well. However, the 19-year-old was able to induce groundballs (49.5%). It was a tick higher than Sloan’s (48.4%).

Martinez was flipped to the Pirates in July for reliever Caleb Ferguson.

The Nuts’ 2025 roster featured two of the Mariners’ top picks from this past July’s draft: former UNC catcher Luke Stevenson (1st) and New Jersey prep shortstop Nick Becker (2nd). Both got their feet wet professionally, with Stevenson having more success. Stevenson slashed .280/460/.400 across 22 games, while the 18-year-old Becker posted a .530 OPS in a six-game sample size.

Everett Aquasox

The next wave of Mariners hitters is slowly making its way to Seattle.

The Aquasox had seven players reach double-digits in home runs. Many of those players were notable prospects coming into the year.

Luis Suisbel hit 23 home runs, a team-high for Everett. Charlie Pagliarini, a 25-year-old who hit for pop both in the Northwest League and AFL, blasted 21. And Tai Peete, a former first-rounder, had 19. However, all three had Whiff% above 30%, with Pagliarini (33.6%) leading the charge among those in that category.

However, the two hitters who showed the most swing-and-miss were two of the biggest names in the system: Jonny Farmelo and Lazaro Montes.

For Farmelo, who does have a longer stroke at the plate, it’s been largely health that has limited him. The 21-year-old only played 29 games this season, raising his career pro total to 75. He made up for it in the Arizona Fall League this past October & November.

As for Montes, he remains one of the premium power hitters in all of Minor League baseball. He cracked 18 over 67 games and posted a .387 on-base percentage. However, despite that home run total came a lot of swing-and-miss (34.6%). And, that was exploited further in Double-A.

It was also a big year for Michael Arroyo, the 21-year-old who is one of many talented young infielders in the Mariners’ organization. Arroyo slashed .269/.422/.512 with 15 home runs and 29 extra-base hits with Everett. Aside from the power, Arroyo also walked 39 times for the Aquasox.

As for the pitching staff, the marquee name heading into the year was Jurrangelo Cijntje. Cijntje was, arguably, one of the most viral pitchers in the 2024 MLB Draft thanks to the fact that he is a switch-pitcher. But aside from attempting to become the second ambidextrous MLB pitcher, Cijntje also boasted premium stuff.

Cijntje induced a good amount of groundballs, nearly a 44% rate in 2025, and opposing hitters batted .201 off him. However, 35 walks and 14 home runs allowed are not desirable numbers to see from a former collegiate standout. The good news? He struck out 83 and posted a Whiff% near 30%.

Arkansas Travelers

Cijntje, despite a lower Whiff% (23.3%) in Double-A, performed better, at least in terms of the peripherals. The former MSU pitcher struck out 37 over 33 innings and allowed only one home run.

Moving to the rest of the pitching staff, Michael Morales (22.4% Whiff%) struck out just 70 batters over 101.2 IP last season. It was a stark contrast from Morales’ last three seasons, where he hovered at around a strikeout per inning. Additionally, the walk rate ticked up, as well.

Morales was left unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft and went undrafted.

The Travelers’ bullpen was one of intrigue this year, in the sense that the Mariners had a lot of groundball pitchers in Double-A. Jimmy Kingsbury, Tyler Cleveland, and Brandyn Garcia all had high rates, with Garcia (56.5%) standing out the most. He wound up being a trade asset this past July.

Perhaps the most interesting of the three was Cleveland, once a starter but now a submarine reliever who could fill an Adam Cimber-like role. He doesn’t throw hard at all, sitting in the low-to-mid-80s.

Moving to the offense, the Travelers had two of the big swing-and-missers in the Texas League: Jared Sundstrom and Lazaro Montes. Both have pop but both finished in the bottom-15 in Whiff%, as did Hunter Fitz-Gerald.

Montes had the second-worst Whiff% (41.3%) in the Texas League. Hence, it’s not a shock he batted .213 (.752 OPS) with 86 strikeouts over 64 games.

As for who stood out, we can’t talk about Mariners prospects without mentioning Colt Emerson. Emerson, a first-round pick in 2023, hit 11 home runs and 32 extra-base hits with High-A Everett and made consistent contact. He performed just fine after he moved up, as Emerson slashed .282/.360/.430 with 14 extra-base hits and a 22% Whiff%.

Tacoma Rainiers

Much like other Triple-A teams, the Rainiers were filled with ex-MLBers and AAAA talent.

Sauryn Lao, Casey Lawrence, Jesse Hahn, and Josh Fleming were among the depth pitchers down in Tacoma this season. The one notable prospect who took that next step forward was sinkerballer Logan Evans, who was called up to Seattle in April for his MLB debut.

As for the offense, the Mariners saw Cole Young make his MLB debut in the spring. Young had a slow start to 2025 but rallied in May to force his way to the Majors. Very little swing-and-miss from Young.

The Mariners also saw strong years from Tyler Locklear and Harry Ford, both of whom are now with different organizations.

One last note: even though the Mariners didn’t make the World Series, one of the relievers from the 2025 Rainiers made an impact in the Fall Classic. That wound up being Will Klein, whom the Dodgers acquired in June from Seattle for Joe Jacques.

Early Projected Top 5 for 2026

1. Colt Emerson
2. Kade Anderson
3. Ryan Sloan
4. Lazaro Montes
5. Michael Arroyo

Emerson has the potential to be a special prospect. He’s shown the ability to hit for power and get on base.

The Mariners’ top pick from 2025, Kade Anderson, sits right behind Emerson. Ryan Sloan, who had a fantastic 2025, rounds out the top three.

Lazaro Montes, from a tools standpoint, should be in this top three. However, what will the hit tool ultimately become? If it’s a 50 or even a 45, that would work. But if it’s a 40 and the swing-and-miss problems become more problematic, you get the idea.

Felnin Celesten and Luke Stevenson are knocking on the door as potential top-five prospects.